The Duneland School
Board hired two new bus drivers at its meeting last night--Cassandra Babcock
and Crystal Milam--and DSC Safety and Security Manager Michael Kellems
resigned.

Board Secretary
Ronald Stone asked what, if any, extra precautions have been put in place in
Duneland’s transportation best practices following the recent death of three
siblings at a bus stop in Rochester, Ind. when a motorist said she didn’t
recognize the vehicle stopped in front of her as a school bus when she drove
around it and struck the students, who were crossing the street to get on
the bus early in the morning.

Duneland
Transportation Manager Cathy Forszt said that Duneland doesn’t have any
“crossover” stops--stops where students must cross the road to get on the
bus--on roads with heavy traffic, such as Meridian Road, County Line Road,
and Porter Avenue, though 35 percent of Duneland bus stops are crossovers.

Forszt said she has
received a handful of comments about stops parents and other community
members think could be safer. One stop has been changed, according to Forszt.

““It’s what keeps
me up every single night, the safety of our children and other motorists,”
Forszt said. She reported that she will also be taking feedback from drivers
at an upcoming safety meeting.